The total size of the Northwest European population of Bewick's Swan Cygnus columbianus bewickii is monitored at 5-year intervals by a coordinated midwinter census throughout the swans' wintering range. Th is paper presents the results of three censuses undertaken in Britain and Ireland between 1995 and 2005, with a particular focus on changes in abundance and distribution. A total of 7,563 Bewick's Swans were counted in Britain and Ireland during January 1995, 7,597 in January 2000 and 7,216 in January 2005, representing a 4.6% decrease in numbers between 1995 and 2005. Numbers in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland decreased dramatically over the period, and declines also occurred in several counties in the west of England. Eastern England consistently held the largest concentrations of Bewick's Swans in Britain and Ireland, increasing by 7% between 1995 and 2005. Southeast England also saw an increase in numbers, supporting the possibility of an eastward contraction of range. Th e percentage of cygnets recorded in fl ocks in Britain and Ireland was 11.5% during January 1995, 7.6% in January 2000 and 14.4% in January 2005; mean brood size was similar in these years, ranging between 1.97 and 1.98 cygnets per successful pair. Over 90% of birds were recorded on farmland, most of which were on arable land: 58% in 1995, 87% in 2000 and 86% in 2005. Analysis of data from across Europe is needed to determine whether declining numbers in parts of Britain and Ireland refl ect a shift in winter distribution or a decrease in total population size for Bewick's Swans in Northwest Europe.


With a number of disparities present in the diagnosis and treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders, the education system plays a crucial role in the provision of both these service elements. Based on school and federal census data, this article examines one state's public school autism enrollment and possible predictors of enrollment within each jurisdiction. The authors' analyses found that actual prevalence is inconsistent with expectations across jurisdictions, with socioeconomic status indicators, race, geographic location, and racial diagnostic discrepancies in special education significantly predicting enrollment. This report exemplifies how secondary analysis of educational data can allow states to better allocate funding, begin to address issues pertaining to lags and unmet standards, and find model systems within their states.


Aspergillus is fungal genus that includes species used to produce compounds of industrial interest. A. niger is for example used for production of citric acid and carbohydrate-active enzymes such as glucoamylase. These enzymes are secreted in high amounts into the culture medium. However, protein secretion in A. niger is inhibited in sporulating zones of colonies. Gene flbA that encodes a Regulator of G-protein Signaling is one of the regulators involved in sporulation. Inhibition of protein secretion by sporulation can be overcome by inactivating flbA, which abolishes sporulation and allows secretion to occur in regions that normally would sporulate. Deletion of flbA however also changes secretome composition, and results in thinner cell walls and cell lysis, which hampers use of an flbA deletion strain as a cell factory. To disentangle these effects, transcription factor (TF) genes were studied that are differentially expressed in ΔflbA. Moreover, the influence of micro-colony size on the expression of secreted enzymes was investigated. Deletion of TF genes msnB and rpnR – that are both transcriptionally repressed by FlbA - affected protein secretion. MsnB represses protein secretion and genes that encode proteins catalyzing oxidation/reduction reactions. Deletion of rpnR decreased proteotoxic stress resistance, which was counteracted by reduced ribosomal and translation initiation factor eIF3 subunit expression, eventually causing a reduction in protein secretion. This reduction is in accordance with the role of FlbA in sporulation-inhibited protein secretion, where sporulating areas secrete less protein. Deletion of the FlbA-activated TF gene fum21 on the other hand abolished production of the mycotoxin fumonisin and reduced production of the antioxidant pyranonigrin A. This was associated with a reduction in expression of 10 out of 12 genes from the fumonisin cluster. These results show for the first time that FlbA controls secondary metabolism in A. niger. Next to this, the relationship between micro-colony size and protein synthesis was investigated for the first time within a single liquid shaken culture, as another way to increase protein secretion. To this end, GFP fluorescence per micro-colony volume was examined with this reporter gene under the control of the promoters of aamA, glaA, and aguA that encode the secreted enzymes acid amylase, glucoamlyase, and α-glucuronidase. Expression of aguA was near proportional to micro-colony volume, consistent with equal expression throughout the micro-colony. On the other hand, aamA and glaA expression per volume was inversely related to micro-colony volume, consistent with expression occurring in a concentric zone on the outside of the micro-colony. Taken together, this Thesis elucidates the effects on protein secretion of the FlbA-regulated TFs msnB and rpnR on the one hand, and establishes a relationship between micro-colony size and synthesis of secreted proteins on the other hand. These results can be used to improve A. niger as a cell factory.


Island courts have been in operation in Vanuatu since 1984. Official documents have hitherto provided little information on their practical operations or utility, and our preliminary research in 2010 found that not much was known at the state governance level about their real circumstances. In 2011, we conducted fieldwork research on five islands, Efate, Santo, Malekula, Epi, and Tanna, to provide better information on the practical operations of island courts and their use by ni-Vanuatu. The author found that although island courts have the potential to provide a valuable service to rural ni-Vanuatu, a number of problems must first be addressed. Their resources and support networks need to be improved and a regularity in these services guaranteed. Networking with other governance institutions (including nongovernmental organizations [NGOs]) at the local level in the provinces could be facilitated, as cooperation among these institutions would be beneficial to all of them. It will also be useful to nencourage the island courts to strengthen the flexibility and creativity that they are, of necessity, already developing, particularly in relation to matters of 'kastom.'


This article investigates the relationship between energy consumption and the Nigerian economy from the period of 1970 to 2005. The energy sources used to test for this relationship were crude oil, electricity and coal. By applying the co-integration technique, the results derived infer that there exists a positive relationship between current period energy consumption and economic growth. With the exception of coal which was positive, a negative relationship was noted for lagged values of energy consumption and economic growth. The implication of the study is that increased energy consumption is a strong determinant of economic growth having an implicit effect in lagged periods and both an implicit and explicit effect on the present period in Nigeria. Thus, it is pertinent that this sector should be given more relevance even by exploiting the opportunities laden in the sector to increase economic growth.

 Key words: Energy consumption, economic performance, Nigeria.


Fatigue life assessment is important for all floating offshore structures related to the new building stage but also related to lifetime extensions. Fatigue cracking occurs normally due to uncertainties in estimated fatigue life and this is a well-known problem for floaters.In this paper the aim has been to look deeper into the effects of improvement methods for improvement of the fatigue life of structural connections.Fatigue testing of full size fillet welded doubling plates has been performed of a specimen in as welded condition for comparison with two specimens improved by grinding. The paper also presents an alternative S-N curve for grinded details.The primary goal is to assess the possibility for fatigue life improvement of fillet welded doubling plates where fatigue cracking may initiate from the weld root. The information gained in this project is considered to be important for the offshore floater industry, as well as for development of new fatigue assessment procedures and requirements in standardization.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


We show how to construct supersymmetric actions for higher-derivative scalar field theories of the form P(X,phi), within the context of d=4, N=1 supersymmetry. This construction is of general use, and is applied to write supersymmetric versions of the Dirac-Born-Infeld action. Our principal application of this formalism is to construct the supersymmetric extension of the ghost condensate. This allows us to study the interplay between supersymmetry, time-dependent backgrounds and violations of the null energy condition.


The essential oil from the leaves of Juglans regia L. (Juglandaceae) growing wild in Kashmir (India) was obtained by hydro-distillation and analysed during different stages of growth ranging from April to October. The analysis was carried out by a combination of capillary GC-FID and GC-MS analytical techniques. Both qualitative and quantitative differences were observed in the essential oil collected at different developmental stages in which the sample Jr-3 exhibited the presence of thirty eight (38) molecules, followed by Jr-4 (32), Jr-6 (30), Jr-2 (29), Jr-7 (26), Jr-5 (25) and Jr-1 (18) constituents. The essential oil yield varied from 0.020 % to 0.035 % in fresh leaves of the different samples of J. regia. The Jr-1, Jr-2, Jr-3, Jr-4 and Jr-6 oil samples exhibited the dominance of monoterpene hydrocarbons constituting 61.0 %, 56.4%, 39.8%, 55.9% and 29.0% of the total oil composition respectively, where as sesquiterpene hydrocarbons form the major portion of oil samples of Jr-5 (40.4% ) & Jr-7(38.9%). Major constituents like α-Pinene, β -Pinene, Germacrane-D, β Caryophyllene, Methylsalicylate, α-Humulene though present in all samples exhibit significant quantitative variation. The various oil samples possess varying degrees of antioxidant and antimicrobial properties which shows decreasing order with the decreasing number of constituents. The current study is the first attempt that reports the seasonal impact on the essential oil composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of J. regia growing in Kashmir valley.


and helicon plasmas used for plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition of films are investigated in the 1 - 10 mTorr pressure and 0 - 800 W rf power ranges. The positive oxygen ions are analysed by energy selective mass spectrometry and Langmuir probes. The oxygen atom concentration is monitored by actinometry and ionization threshold mass spectrometry. In oxygen plasmas it is shown that is the major positive ion, and that the oxygen molecules are far from being completely dissociated, due to a very high oxygen atom recombination frequency on the reactor walls. The dissociation degree increases with the rf power reaching 10% at 500 W. In plasmas, the plasma density and electron temperature decrease as the TEOS fraction increases. In contrast, the degree of oxygen dissociation increases sharply with the addition of a few per cent TEOS, is maximum for about 5% TEOS and decreases as TEOS fraction is further increased. In a 95:5 plasma (5 mTorr, 300 W) the fluxes of oxygen positive ions and atoms impinging onto a floating substrate are estimated to be and respectively. Under these plasma conditions, near-stoichiometric films, with low OH content, are deposited at ambient temperature. The corresponding atom to ion flux ratio is about 250, which suggests the dominant role of oxygen atoms in the deposition kinetics. The comparison of the compositions of layers grown in a 5 mTorr 95:5 plasma at two rf powers confirms the major role of oxygen atoms.


Biodiversity offsets aim to counterbalance the residual impacts of development on species and ecosystems. Guidance documents explicitly recommend that biodiversity offset actions be located close to the location of impact because of higher potential for similar ecological conditions, but allowing greater spatial flexibility has been proposed. We examined the circumstances under which offsets distant from the impact location could be more likely to achieve no net loss or provide better ecological outcomes than offsets close to the impact area. We applied a graphical model for migratory shorebirds in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway as a case study to explore the problems that arise when incorporating spatial flexibility into offset planning. Spatially flexible offsets may alleviate impacts more effectively than local offsets; however, the risks involved can be substantial. For our case study, there were inadequate data to make robust conclusions about the effectiveness and equivalence of distant habitat‐based offsets for migratory shorebirds. Decisions around offset placement should be driven by the potential to achieve equivalent ecological outcomes; however, when considering more distant offsets, there is a need to evaluate the likely increased risks alongside the potential benefits. Although spatially flexible offsets have the potential to provide more cost‐effective biodiversity outcomes and more cobenefits, our case study showed the difficulty of demonstrating these benefits in practice and the potential risks that need to be considered to ensure effective offset placement.


: Twenty-nine guinea pigs were divided into three groups. The first group received distilled water 2 ml/kg ip daily; the second group received DDP 2 mg/kg ip daily; and the third group DDP 4 mg/kg ip daily. ABR hearing threshold was tested before injection. Twenty-four hours after systemic administration, ABR hearing threshold was tested again. The animals were killed and the cochlear specimens were observed under light, scanning and transmission electron microscopes. No abnormality regarding ABR hearing threshold and cochlear morphology was observed in the first group. In the second group, ABR hearing threshold was elevated, inner and outer hair cells, supporting cells, striae vascularis and spiral ganglions were damaged. In the third group, ABR hearing threshold elevated markedly. All above-mentioned cells were severely damaged. The experiment showed that the cochlear damage induced by DDP was dose related. The severest damage was seen in the second turn of the cochlea. The damage to the Deiters' cells was earliest and severest. The outer hair cells were more vulnerable to the damage than the inner hair cells did.


Background
Permanent canines are amongst the teeth most affected by impaction and ectopic eruption. Although impacted canines are often subjected to surgical exposure and alignment with either the open or the closed technique for many decades, their treatment effects have not yet been systematically asssessed.

Objectives
The aim of this systematic review was to critically assess whether significant differences exist in the outcomes of the open or closed surgical exposure of impacted canines.

Search methods
An unrestricted electronic search of nine databases from inception to December 2016 was performed.

Selection criteria methods
Included were randomized or prospective non-randomized studies comparing open versus closed exposure of impacted canines in human patients.

Data collection and analysis
After duplicate study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment according to the Cochrane guidelines, random-effects meta-analyses of mean differences (MDs) and odds ratios (ORs), including their 95 per cent confidence intervals (CIs) were performed, followed by subgroup and sensitivity analyses.

Results
A total of eight unique studies and a total of 433 (30.1% male/59.9% female) patients were included, with an average age of 15.2 years and a total of 453 impacted canines (48.6% and 51.4% in the open and closed exposure, respectively). Open exposure of impacted canines was associated with reduced duration of canine alignment (two studies; MD = -2.14 months; 95% CI = -4.23 to -0.05 months; P < 0.05; moderate heterogeneity and moderate quality) and lower odds of tooth ankylosis (one study; OR = 0.15; 95% CI = 0.03-0.83; P < 0.05; low quality) compared to closed exposure; both findings being independent of canine localization. However, initial alignment of palatally impacted canines took overall significantly longer than labially impacted canines (8.87 versus 4.17 months).

Conclusions
Based on existing evidence, open surgical exposure seems to be superior in treatment duration and ankylosis risk over the closed technique. Due to the limited number of small included trials, further research is needed for robust clinical recommendations.

Registration
PROSPERO (CRD42016051916).


Ostpolitik during the era of Willy Brandt signaled a new departure in West German foreign policy. At first a latecomer in European détente, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) became its pacemaker. With respect to both security matters and economic relations, the FRG emerged as the main partner of the Soviet Union in Europe. Starting from the international context, the article analyzes the dynamic that emanated from the formula Wandel durch Annäherung (change through rapprochement). The focus is on (1) perceptions and short-term objectives, (2) underlying assumptions and expectations, and (3) the achievements of Ostpolitik. East-West relations were shaped by newly introduced methods of communication that opened avenues for détente and peaceful change. The experience of communicative actions led to a constellation of antagonistic cooperation in Europe. The East-West conflict continued, but conflict behavior had changed for good.


The ecological role of nodularin in cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena is still largely unknown, as are the conditions that promote toxin production. We report a modulating effect of mesozooplankton grazing on cellular nodularin content in N. spumigena expressed as a decrease in cellbound toxin concentration in the presence of copepods compared with the cyanobacterium in similar assemblages without copepods. In our experiments, N. spumigena was incubated in an ambient plankton (,90 mm) assemblage (Expt I) or in 0.2-mm filtered seawater (Expt II), with and without the copepod Eurytemora affinis. Following � 28-h incubation, we measured the changes in N. spumigena abundance and nodularin concentration, frequency of Nodularia DNA occurrence in copepods as a proxy for grazing pressure on the cyanobacterium and individual RNA content in E. affinis as a proxy for copepod growth response. In all copepod-free treatments, intracellular nodularin concentrations were up to four times higher than in the treatments containing copepods. In Experiment I, the copepods also had a positive effect on the cyanobacterium growth, presumably due to a selective removal of more edible algal species and thus decreased competition for nutrients. Nodularia DNA was detected with high frequencies, 18‐80%, increasing in treatments with no alternative food or high copepod densities. Simultaneously, no noxious effects of N. spumigena on the copepods were detected as indicated by higher RNA content in copepods exposed to N. spumigena with or without ambient plankton organisms compared with starved controls. These findings stress the need to understand the importance of intra-specific interactions for nodularin production in relation to population dynamics of N. spumigena.


ABSTRACT How is it that within the graphic tradition particular images, often composed of only lines and washes on paper, can convey complex states of being and speak to questions of existence? For the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813–55) to exist is to face uncertainties and commit oneself passionately to a way of life, which emerges only through the acting-out of that commitment. This paper considers the work of two very different artists and aims to illuminate the common philosophical ground and expose significant differences. José Luis Cuevas was a Mexican self-taught artist who made drawings of human suffering. He began drawing fallible images of humanity at a very young age after a prolonged illness. He worked in opposition to established works of art in his home country. Tommi Parrish is a contemporary Australian transgender comic book artist whose work often traverses gaps in human understanding, sexuality, identity and anxiety to convey tenderness and humour. The work of Tommi is noteworthy in terms of how sequenced imagery builds on often wordless tension between awkward individuals and the situation they find themselves in. I seek to reveal an alternative narrative layer for each artist by considering gestures within their work.


Porous biodegradable scaffolds are widely used in bone tissue engineering to provide temporary templates for cellular attachment and matrix synthesis. Ideally, the degradation rate in vivo may be similar or slightly less than that of tissue formation, allowing for the maintenance of the scaffold structure and the mechanical support during early stages of tissue formation. Eventually, the 3-D spaces occupied by the porous scaffolds will be replaced by newly formed tissue. In this work, β-tricalcium phosphate/Poly-L lactide (β-TCP/PLLA) scaffolds with different proportions of β-TCP to PLLA were investigated. The effects of β-TCP proportions on degradation rate and mechanical strengths of the scaffolds were evaluated in simulated body fluid (SBF) at 37°C up to 42 days. Results show that: different proportions of β-TCP to PLLA have significant influence on degradation behaviors of the scaffolds, and mechanical strengths of the scaffolds with weight proportion of β-TCP to PLLA being 2 to 1 are much higher than those of the others during the degradation period. And in this period, the scaffolds biodegrade slowly, and Hydroxyl Carbonate Apatite (HCA) forms in the surface of the material.


Abstract This article considers the question 'What makes hope rational?' We take Adrienne Martin's recent incorporation analysis of hope as representative of a tradition that views the rationality of hope as a matter of instrumental reasons. Against this tradition, we argue that an important subset of hope, 'fundamental hope', is not governed by instrumental rationality. Rather, people have reason to endorse or reject such hope in virtue of the contribution of the relevant attitudes to the integrity of their practical identity, which makes the relevant hope not instrumentally but intrinsically valuable. This argument also allows for a new analysis of the reasons people have to abandon hope and for a better understanding of non-fundamental, 'prosaic' hopes.


In today's organizational environment, human resources are seen to be one of the most crucial assets that must be maintained, particularly the existence of employees' proactive behavior, which is needed for the sustainability of organizational performance. One factor, which may affect the employees' proactive behavior, is organizational politics. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of organizational politics on proactive behavior of government employees and to test further whether this effect was moderated by self-efficacy. This study used a quantitative approach with an exploratory method to answer the proposed hypothesis. The samples were 310 local government employees in Bandung district, Cimahi City, Bandung City, and West Bandung Regency, Indonesia. For processing the data and testing the hypotheses, this research employed Moderated Regression Analysis by using STATA 13. The results showed that organizational politics has a negative effect on the proactive behavior of government employees, and the moderation effect of self-efficacy can weaken the negative relationship between organizational politics and proactive behavior. The study, therefore, makes a valuable contribution regarding the additional evidence to the organization within this field.


A solution is given for the refraction arrival in water covered areas in terms of the evaluation of a branch line integral for an impulsive point source. The physical significance of the mathematical solution is discussed, and experimental verification of the theoretical predictions is presented. The character, frequency, and range dependence of the refraction arrival agree with theory. Using the results of this theory and the conventional interpretation techniques for refraction seismograms, it is possible to determine the velocities and depths of the seismic refraction horizons from the record of a single receiver. The velocities of the refraction layers can be determined from the frequency of the refraction arrivals, the depth of water, and the velocity of sound in water. Then, from the travel times the depths of the horizons can be computed. This method could be of importance in reconnaissance measurements of geologic structure over the continental shelves.


We estimated costs of sexual violence in selected states and are making a national estimate. Cost categories include medical care, mental healthcare, victim services, foster care, police services, perpetrator treatment, adjudication, sanctioning and victim loss of wages and quality of life. Quality of life losses were estimated from lawsuits against third parties who failed to secure and illuminate their premises or served alcohol to an already-intoxicated person prior to an assault. We estimated probabilities and costs of sexually transmitted illnesses, unplanned pregnancies and (based on studies of twins) of youth victimisation causing suicide acts or substance abuse. Unit costs came from crime surveys, healthcare data, state sanctioning budgets, and published literature. In 2005, for example, 61 000 Minnesota residents were sexually assaulted, suffering an average of 1.26 assaults per victim. Police logged 7200 reports of unwanted sexual intercourse, but only 2617 met the law enforcement definition of rape. Consequently, most police-reported rapes were omitted from state rape statistics. (Michigan's definition created less undercounting.) Sexual violence costs 3.3 times as much as alcohol-impaired driving in Minnesota. Costs totalled $8 billion in 2005, or $1540 per resident. Quality of life losses of victims and their families and related breakdowns in their lives and relationships wee the largest costs. Criminal justice and perpetrator treatment cost $130 million. Other direct spending totalled $1.3 billion. State government spent $130 million on sexual violence perpetrators and $90 million on victims. More resources are needed for sexual assault prevention and victim assistance. Our methods are replicable.


Pholasin is the photoprotein responsible for luminescence in the bivalve Pholas dactylus and consists of a luciferin tightly bound to a glycosylated protein. It is a sensitive indicator of reactive oxygen species. A fulllength clone encoding apopholasin was isolated from a P. dactylus light organ cDNA library. The unprocessed apoprotein contained 225 amino acids, starting with a signal peptide of 20 amino acids, 3 predicted N-linked glycosylation sites, 1 O-linked site, no histidines, and 7 cysteines. The recombinant apoprotein was expressed in cell extracts and insect cells. The size of the apoprotein expressed in cell extracts and the cytosol of insect cells was 26 kDa but that of the fully processed protein was 34 kDa, as was native pholasin. Both the processed and unprocessed recombinant apoproteins were recognized by a polyclonal antibody raised against native pholasin. Acid methanol extracts from Pholas added to recombinant apoprotein resulted in chemiluminescence triggered by sodium hypochlorite but not photoprotein formation. These results have important implications in understanding the molecular evolution of bioluminescence and will allow the development of recombinant pholasin as an intracellular indicator of reactive oxygen species.


The microstructures of polymers produced by ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) with cyclometalated Ru-carbene metathesis catalysts were investigated. A strong bias for a cis,syndiotactic microstructure with minimal head-to-tail bias was observed. In instances where trans errors were introduced, it was determined that these regions were also syndiotactic. Furthermore, hypothetical reaction intermediates and transition structures were analyzed computationally. Combined experimental and computational data support a reaction mechanism in which cis,syndio-selectivity is a result of stereogenic metal control, while microstructural errors are predominantly due to alkylidene isomerization via rotation about the Ru═C double bond.


Acknowledgments About the Editor Secretary General's 1998 Letter Secretary General's Preface Introduction Photos Table of Abbreviations List of Documentation Available Online PART I CHAPTER 1 * CHRONOLOGY OF RELEVANT HISTORIC DATES AND EVENTS CHAPTER 2 * INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Introduction Section 1. International Investigative and Prosecutorial Bodies from 1919-1994. Section 2. Establishing a Permanent International Criminal Court: 1937- 1989 Section 3. The 1998 Rome Diplomatic Conference Section 4. The Absence of Legal Method Section 5. Post-Rome: The Preparatory Commission (1998 to 2002) and Assembly of States Parties (2002-2004) Conclusion CHAPTER 3 * THE ICC'S NATURE, FUNCTIONS AND MECHANISMS Section 1. Nature of the Institution Section 2. Jurisdictional Mechanisms Section 3. Crimes Within the Jurisdiction of the ICC Section 4. Elements of Criminal Responsibility and Penalties Section 5. Applicable Law Section 6. Stages of the Judicial Proceedings Section 7. Victims' Rights Section 8. Cooperation and Enforcement Modalities Section 9. Organization and Operation of the ICC Section 10. National Implementing Legislation Section 11. Ratification, Amendment, and Reviewing the Statute Section 12. The Relationship of the ICC with the United Nations Conclusion PART II The Rome Statute, Elements of Crimes, and Rules of Procedure & Evidence: Integrated Text. Regulations of the Court Bibliography Appendix 1-Negotiated Relationship Agreement Between the International Criminal Court and the United Nations Appendix 2-Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the of the International Criminal Court Index.


The paper presents the implementation of a dense multi-view stereo matching pipeline for the evaluation of image sequences from a camera-based mobile mapping system. For this purpose the software system SURE is taken as a basis. Originally this system was developed to provide 3D point clouds or DEM from standard airborne and terrestrial image blocks. Since mobile mapping scenarios typically include stereo configurations with camera motion predominantly in viewing direction, processing steps like image rectification and structure computation of the existing processing pipeline had to be adapted. The presented investigations are based on imagery captured by the mobile mapping system of the Institute of Geomatics Engineering in the city center of Basel, Switzerland. For evaluation, reference point clouds from terrestrial laser scanning are used. Our first results already demonstrate a considerable increase in reliability and completeness of both depth maps and point clouds as result of the matching process.


Myelination allows fast and synchronized nerve influxes and is provided by Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system. Glucocorticoid hormones are major regulators of stress, metabolism and immunity affecting all tissues. They act by binding to two receptors, the low affinity glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and the high affinity mineralocorticoid receptor (MR). Little is known on the effect of glucocorticoid hormones on the PNS and this study focuses on deciphering the role of MR in peripheral myelination. In this work, the presence of a functional MR in Schwann cells is demonstrated and the expression of MR protein in mouse sciatic nerve SC is evidenced. Besides, knockout of MR in SC (SCMRKO using Cre-lox system with DesertHedgeHog (Dhh) Cre promoter) was undertaken in mice. SCMRKO was not associated with alterations of performance in motor behavioral tests on 2- to 6-month old male mice compared to their controls. No obvious modifications of myelin gene expression or MR signaling gene expression were observed in the SCMRKO sciatic nerves. Nevertheless, Gr transcript and GR protein amounts were significantly increased in SCMRKO nerves compared to controls, suggesting a possible compensatory effect. Besides, an increase in myelin sheath thickness was noted for axons with perimeters larger than 15 µm in SCMRKO illustrated by a significant 4.5 % reduction in g-ratio (axon perimeter/myelin sheath perimeter). Thus, we defined MR as a new player in peripheral system myelination and in SC homeostasis.


The control of the vectors of Chagas' disease in the State of Sao Paulo are discussed, mainly those activities that led to the elimination of Triatoma infestans. Secondary factors that helped the control such as rural exodus are also analyzed. The article shows that since 1965 the control became a campaign with different phases due to the epidemiological situation, the acquired knowledge and the entomological surveillance. After 25 years of work, the elimination of all the focus of Triatoma infestans was finally reached and the campaign was ended. However, due to the possibility of reintroduction of the vector in rural areas by passive transportation besides the presence of secondary vectors (Triatoma sordida and Panstrongylus megistus) in several localities, the vector control activities were not interrupted and the surveillance is continuous.


In this study, a method that determines the welding machine types using acoustic method and Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) has been suggested. FFT was used in order to bring out the characteristics of welding machines and ANN to classify them. To this end, the sounds of three arc, gas metal arc and spot weld machines were transferred to a computer during welding process via a microphone and recorded separately and then, by applying FFT, discrete frequency components were ascertained. The selected 500 frequency components were normalized and used as an input of an ANN model. It was observed that ANN model could classify welding machine types following training, validation and test stages, through the recorded sounds with a great success. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.23.4.14876


We report a case of acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) after cefotaxime use confirmed by a positive patch test. A 30‐year‐old woman received cefotaxime, fosfomycin and ciprofloxacin for sinusitis. Twelve days after drug initiation, she developed an extending pustular erythema associated with fever. Laboratory investigations showed marked leukocytosis. His blood chemistry was normal. The histological examination showed parakeratosis, spongiosis and nonfollicular intra‐epidermal pustules consistent with AGEP. All medications were withdrawn. The symptoms resolved within 11 days after cefotaxime discontinuation. Patch tests were positive to cefotaxime after 48 h, while ciprofloxacin and fosfomycin yielded negative findings. Based on the Naranjo algorithm, it is probable that AGEP reaction was caused by cefotaxime. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of AGEP associated with positive cefotaxime patch testing.


Earth science research must bridge the gap between the atmosphere and the ocean to foster understanding of Earth's climate and ecology. Ocean sensing is typically done with satellites, buoys, and crewed research ships. The limitations of these systems include the fact that satellites are often blocked by cloud cover, and buoys and ships have spatial coverage limitations. This paper describes a Multilevel Autonomy Robot Telesupervision Architecture (MARTA) for multi-robot science exploration, and an embodiment of the MARTA architecture in a real-world system called the Telesupervised Adaptive Ocean Sensor Fleet (TAOSF). TAOSF supervises and coordinates a group of robotic boats, the OASIS platforms, to enable in-situ study of phenomena in the ocean/atmosphere interface, as well as on the ocean surface and sub-surface. The OASIS platforms are extended- deployment autonomous ocean surface vehicles, whose development is funded separately by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). TAOSF allows a human operator to effectively supervise and coordinate multiple robotic assets using the MARTA multi-level autonomy control architecture, where the operating mode of the vessels ranges from autonomous control to teleoperated human control. TAOSF increases data-gathering effectiveness and science return while reducing demands on scientists for robotic asset tasking, control, and monitoring. The first field application chosen for TAOSF is the characterization of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). We discuss the overall TAOSF system and the underlying MARTA architecture, describe field tests conducted under controlled conditions using rhodamine dye as a HAB simulant, present initial results from these tests, and outline the next steps in the development of TAOSF.


Although development of 40,000 MWs of hydropower plants in Nepal is said to be feasible from an engineering/economic perspective, from a  financing through Nepalese banks perspective, it is impossible. Loans from international banks are needed to finance hydropower projects in Nepal as local banks do not have capacity to support large projects. However, most international banks have not yet been interested as many Nepalese projects are not yet considered "bankable" from a project finance perspective. There are many challenges to financing hydropower projects as the financing requires the project itself to be free of risk from a legal and contractual viewpoint, thus making it worthy of being used as collateral on its own right. The only way forward is for the government to change its policies significantly to ensure the bankability of projects currently being developed by many independent power producers. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hn.v13i0.10033 HYDRO NEPAL Journal of Water, Energy and Environment Issue No. 13, July 2013 Page:  Uploaded date: 3/12/2014


We prove short-time existence of \phi-regular solutions to the planar anisotropic curvature flow, including the crystalline case, with an additional forcing term possibly unbounded and discontinuous in time, such as for instance a white noise. We also prove uniqueness of such solutions when the anisotropy is smooth and elliptic. The main tools are the use of an implicit variational scheme in order to define the evolution, and the approximation with flows corresponding to regular anisotropies.


Background: Women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) suffer from psychological and physiological symptoms and side effects of therapy. When the treatment is non-curative, quality of life (QOL) is a major issue. This study aimed to examine the feasibility, safety, and effects of Medical Qigong (MQ: integration of gentle exercise and meditation) in improving QOL in women with MBC. Method: Women with MBC were randomized to a MQ group (n=14) or meditation control group (n=13). QOL, fatigue, stress, neuropathy symptoms and sexual function were measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Breast (FACT-B), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-fatigue (FACT-F), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), neurotoxicity subscale of the FACT/GOG-NTX, and Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (SFQ) subscales at pre-intervention and weeks 5 and 10. Results: No serious adverse events were reported during or after MQ intervention. Sixty three percent of participants completed the study (MQ intervention (n=9) and meditation control (n=8)). There were no significant differences in overall QOL (p= 0.84), fatigue (p=0.71), perceived stress level (p=0.52), sexual satisfaction (p=0.55), sexual activities (p=0.95) and sexual relationship (p=0.79) between the groups, although difference in neuropathic symptoms (p=0.014) were significant. Conclusions: A MQ trial in women with MBC is feasible and safe. MQ may have the potential to relieve symptoms experienced by women with MBC and prevent deterioration of neuropathy. A larger study with adequate power to confirm these results and detect clinically relevant effects is needed.


Online communities have evolved to allow larger numbers of individuals to interact with other users to form a collective virtual environment influenced by members within the community. Existing studies on online brand communities (OBCs) tied millennials ' participation and interactions to a unidimensional view. Specifically, OBCs scholars generally aggregate individual millennials ' participation and commitment, ignoring the variance among the demographic cohort. Our exploration challenges not only the existing en-semble interpretation within studies of OBC but also the characterisation of millennials ' burgeoning participation in OBCs. Unlike other competing epistemologies, the authors developed a conceptual framework that links a holistic set of OBCs ' characteristics (brand sentiment, identification with source, affirmative experience, conspicuous effect) to consumers ' perceptions in the fashion sector. Drawing on social influence theory along with a constructivist perspective, we conducted fine ‐ grained in ‐ depth interviews to ex-plore millennials ' participation in online communities and brand perceptions in the fashion industry. The main findings reveal four categories of customer engagement in OBCs (bias situators, sugar ‐ coaters, rationalisers, judgmentalists). These key categories are explored to create a framework for future research in this area, and further contribute to the field of online brand engagement, particularly in the fashion industry.


Multi-pitch estimation of co-channel speech is especially challenging when the underlying pitch tracks are close in pitch value (e.g., when pitch tracks cross). Building on our previous work in [1], we demonstrate the utility of a two-dimensional (2-D) analysis method of speech for this problem by exploiting its joint representation of pitch and pitch-derivative information from distinct speakers. Specifically, we propose a novel multi-pitch estimation method consisting of 1) a datadriven classifier for pitch candidate selection, 2) local pitch and pitch-derivative estimation by k-means clustering, and 3) a Kalman filtering mechanism for pitch tracking and assignment. We evaluate our method on a database of allvoiced speech mixtures and illustrate its capability to estimate pitch tracks in cases where pitch tracks are separate and when they are close in pitch value (e.g., at crossings). Index Terms: Grating Compression Transform, multi-pitch estimation, pitch dynamics, pitch crossings, all-voiced speech


ABSTRACT Using data from the European Social Survey fielded in 2010/11, this study presents new evidence on retirement preferences in Europe. It investigates retirees' preferred and actual ages of retirement, focusing on the retirement window 1995–2011. Moreover, it reports on the prevalence of mismatch in the form of involuntary retirement (retiring earlier than preferred) and involuntary work (retiring later than preferred). The study identifies substantial shares of retirees who are affected by a mismatch between their preferred and actual ages of retirement. In the majority of the countries analysed, at least 30 per cent of retirees would have preferred to continue working past the age at which they retired, while in a number of countries sizeable shares of retirees report involuntary work. The risk factors for involuntary retirement include the experience of late-career job loss, unemployment, job exits for health reasons and, in the case of women, working in higher-status occupations. The risk factors for involuntary work include fatherhood and, in the case of women, part-time work. As a result of rising actual ages of retirement, the risk of involuntary retirement has decreased for more recent retirement cohorts, while due to pension reforms that have tightened eligibility rules for early retirement, men's risk of involuntary work has increased. However, involuntary retirement is still more prevalent than involuntary work.


We have analysed and optimised a laser process for the sintering of the TiO2 layers in dye solar cells (DSCs). Through a thermographic characterisation of the process, we show that it is possible to scale and process large areas uniformly (16 cm2). We fabricated DSCs with nanocrystalline (nc)‐TiO2 films sintered by using pulsed ultraviolet laser with an average output power P varying from 1 W to 7 W whilst mainting a constant power conversion efficiency η. The highest efficiency reached for a laser sintered DSC was 7%. The time required to sinter 1 m2 of nc‐TiO2 film was found to decrease hyperbolically with P, which is important for determining process takt times. We quantified the embodied energy (EE) required to sinter 1 m2 of the active TiO2 layer for a variety of different processes, and found that the EE for the laser sintering process with a system wall plug efficiency of 3.5% to be competitive with the more conventional oven and belt furnace treatments. We outline the main features required from a laser system to carry out an efficient, energetically favourable and industrially applicable automated process with competitive throughput. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A new system of high-temperature superconductors is reported. The compounds, Mo6 - xAxS6 where A is Cu, Zn, Mg, Ag, Cd, Sn, or Pb, are rhombohedral with a ≃6.5 angstroms and ∼90�. The transition temperatures range from ∼ 2.5�K for the Cd compound to ∼ 13�K for the Pb compound.


This article presents the result of a pilot project which seeks to examine the pattern of socio-cultural interaction between the Chinese people and other ethnic groups in the multicultural City of Medan, North Sumatra. The purpose of this article is to examine various obstacles in the pattern of socio-cultural interaction among those two groups of people. This article utilizes both field data and the data obtained from bibliographical references. This qualitative research applies the ethnographical approach and is conducted by observing various activities and behaviors that arise from the pattern of socio-cultural interaction between the Chinese people and other ethnic groups in Medan. From this project, we draw a preliminary conclusion that the Medanese Chinese have established domination over numerous areas of life in Medan by engaging in various socio-cultural activities, both conspicuously and inconspicuously. Such hegemonic tendencies have contributed to creating a negative perception of the Medanese Chinese among other members of the plural society in Medan. In addition to that, the difficulty of Medanese Chinese to assimilate themselves with the local populace only increases the social gap between them and other local communities. These factors constitute challenges for the Medanese Chinese to interact with people from other ethnic groups.


Background and Purpose— This population-based study aimed to identify unplanned hospitalization within the first year after stroke to determine factors associated with it and consequences on survival. Methods— All first-ever acute strokes occurring in Dijon, France, from 2009 to 2011, were prospectively collected from a population-based registry. Demographics and clinical data, including stroke severity measured by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and disability after stroke, were recorded. For each patient, the first unplanned hospitalization that occurred within 1 year after stroke was retrieved by linking data with the national French Hospital Discharge Database. Predictors of hospitalization and survival at 1 year were identified using logistic regression models. Results— Among the 613 patients recorded, 94 (15.3%) were excluded because of early death. Of the 519 remaining patients, 167 (32.2%) were hospitalized at 1 year. Subsequent hospitalization led to in-hospital death for 16 (9.6%) patients. In multivariable analyses, only a history of hypertension and atrial fibrillation were associated with hospitalization. In stratified analyses, the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was associated with a higher risk of hospitalization (odds ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.22; P=0.006), whereas only a trend was noted for disability (odds ratio, 2.26; 95% confidence interval, 0.82–6.22; P=0.113) in patients who returned home after the index stroke. Hospitalization was negatively associated with being alive at 1 year (odds ratio, 0.36; 95% confidence interval, 0.19–0.66; P<0.01). Conclusions— Stroke survivors are at high risk of hospitalization after the episode, and subsequent admission is associated with poor survival, thus highlighting the need for follow-up interventions after discharge to prevent readmission.


The issue of weight outcome is a common problem across all ages in the world, regardless of being a male or female. Studies show  that its cause is more associated with insufficient physical activities due to technological addicts and improper eating habits. However, this study sought to find out whether the predictors by authorities are in existent among college students in this part of the country. In a cross sectional survey which was a cohort study on 308 subjects, predictors like gender, age, eating habits and physical exercise were tested on weight outcome as the dependent variable (DV) that was categorized into two (normal and abnormal weight), which is dichotomous. The abnormal weight is made up of underweight, overweight and obese. Test of association was computed and Pearson Chi-square value was found to be  with significance value of 0.01 < 0.05. The result revealed that since the significance value is less than the alpha value, then gender is associated with a weight problem. The logistic regression model (LRM) was used to analyze the epidemiological behaviour of the problem. The Hosmer and Lemeshow test computed, displayed a significance value of 0.291 which is by far greater than the 5% significance level and hence affirm that the data used was good to fit the model. It was also maintained that overall, 63.0% of the subjects were correctly classified. It was further revealed from the LR table that gender had p – value 0.014: C.I = 1.288 – 9.292; age, p = 0.001: C.I. = 2.173 – 8.132; eating habits, p = 0.021: C.I = 0.323 – 0.913 and physical exercise, p = 0.001: C.I. = 2.303 – 20.232, this establishes that each of these independent variables IVs is <0.05, hence significant to predict weight outcomes (problem).

 Key words: Weight outcome, physical exercise, eating habits, odds ratio, risk.


This paper presents the residential street design guide. The purpose in presenting residential street design considerations is to call attention to a broad range of factors which should be considered in the selection of alignments, configurations and construction details. The considerations are a mixture of criteria, specification standards, and performance experience, hearing upon practical urban and suburban residential street design concerns. The paper given some selected examples of design elements in residential street design.


Recoverin, a photoreceptor‐specific calcium‐binding protein, is a target for antibodies in human cancer‐associated retinopathy. We have studied the binding properties of antirecoverin human autoantibodies and rat monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). The majority of antibodies to recoverin, both in human disease and in animals immunized with recoverin, are directed against the same major immunodominant region, the sequence within the residue 64–70 in proximity to the calcium‐binding domain EF‐hand 2. The immunodominant epitopes consist of linear and conformational components. Our data demonstrate that the reactivity of autoantibodies was dependent on conformational changes induced by the binding of calcium to recoverin. Some patients' antibodies could be detected by immunocytochemical methods and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); however, their binding was abolished on Western blots; their epitopes were sensitive to SDS treatment. Immunization of Lewis rat with purified recoverin induces antibodies with properties strikingly similar to human autoantibodies. Comparison between the monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and native autoantibodies showed that the calcium‐induced changes in conformation were critical for specificities of the antibody generated. The recoverin region within the sequence 61–82 is a key region for antibody binding; it also contains a major T‐cell epitope, and it is highly uveitogenic in Lewis rats. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


In this paper, we propose a new, simplified high probability analysis of AdaGrad for smooth, non-convex problems. More specifically, we focus on a particular accelerated gradient (AGD) template (Lan, 2020), through which we recover the original AdaGrad and its variant with averaging, and prove a convergence rate of $\mathcal O (1/ \sqrt{T})$ with high probability without the knowledge of smoothness and variance. We use a particular version of Freedman's concentration bound for martingale difference sequences (Kakade&Tewari, 2008) which enables us to achieve the best-known dependence of $\log (1 / \delta )$ on the probability margin $\delta$. We present our analysis in a modular way and obtain a complementary $\mathcal O (1 / T)$ convergence rate in the deterministic setting. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first high probability result for AdaGrad with a truly adaptive scheme, i.e., completely oblivious to the knowledge of smoothness and uniform variance bound, which simultaneously has best-known dependence of $\log( 1/ \delta)$. We further prove noise adaptation property of AdaGrad under additional noise assumptions.


Background Little is known about the carcinogenic potential of arsenic in areas with low to moderate concentrations of arsenic (< 100 μg/L) in drinking water. Objectives We examined associations between arsenic and lung cancer. Methods A population-based case–control study of primary incident lung cancer was conducted in 10 counties in two U.S. states, New Hampshire and Vermont. The study included 223 lung cancer cases and 238 controls, each of whom provided toenail clippings for arsenic exposure measurement by inductively coupled–plasma mass spectrometry. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) of the association between arsenic exposure and lung cancer using unconditional logistic regression with adjustment for potential confounders (age, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking pack-years, education, body mass index, fish servings per week, and toenail selenium level). Results Arsenic exposure was associated with small-cell and squamous-cell carcinoma of the lung [OR = 2.75; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.00–7.57] for toenail arsenic concentration ≥ 0.114 μg/g, versus < 0.05 μg/g. A history of lung disease (bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or fibrosis) was positively associated with lung cancer (OR = 2.86; 95% CI, 1.39–5.91). We also observed an elevated risk of lung cancer among participants with a history of lung disease and toenail arsenic ≥ 0.05 μg/g (OR = 4.78; 95% CI, 1.87–12.2) than among individuals with low toenail arsenic and no history of lung disease. Conclusion Although this study supports the possibility of an increased risk of specific lung cancer histologic types at lower levels of arsenic exposure, we recommend large-scale population-based studies.


The alteration of expression of p16INK4a, a well-known cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor involved in cell cycle control, in tumors is unclear, especially under hypoxic conditions. To evaluate p16INK4a regulation, we performed a protein microarray analysis. Among 1,800 proteins in the array, we identified hYSK1 as a novel protein that interacts with the tumor suppressor p16INK4a. hYSK1, a member of the Ste20 family of serine/threonine protein kinases, promotes cell migration and tumorigenesis and is activated by oxidative stress. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the oncogenic potential of hYSK1 remain elusive. Here, we report that hYSK1 interacts with p16INK4a under hypoxic conditions in tumors, where it negatively regulates p16INK4a, enhancing cancer cell migration. Hypoxic stimulation of hYSK1 reduces p16INK4a accumulation through p16 promoter regulation to interact with unphosporylated SP-1 and increases matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression by activating the MMP2 promoter associated with cell migration and proliferation.Conversely, knocking down hYSK1 expression activated p16INK4a expression and suppressed MMP-2 expression. Thus, hYSK1 is necessary as a trigger for inactivating p16INK4a and activating MMP-2 during tumor migration, suggesting that hYSK1 is a specific negative regulator of the tumor suppressor p16INK4a and may represent a novel molecular target for reactivation of tumor suppressor genes in humans.


Dense nanostructured ZrSi2-SiC composite was synthesized by high frequency induction heated combustion synthesis (HFIHCS) method within 1 minute in one step from powders of ZrC and 3Si. Simultaneous combustion synthesis and densification were accomplished under the combined effects of an induced current and mechanical pressure. Highly dense ZrSi2-SiC with relative density of up to 98% were produced under simultaneous application of a 60MPa pressure and the induced current. The average grain size and mechanical properties (hardness and fracture toughness) of the composite were investigated.


Molten magnesium will oxidize uncontrollably in an atmosphere of air. To inhibit this, a protective gas is used to cover the melt. The gas most commonly used today is SF6. Fluorine is known to be the active component of the gas. There is a major problem with SF6, and that is that it has a strong Global Warming Potential (GWP). The GWP of SF6 is 23 900 times that of CO2. The aim of the present work is to understand the mechanism of the protection of molten magnesium. Hopefully, this allows us to find less problematic alternatives to the use of SF6 gas. The present work was performed with three different experimental units: - A furnace was especially built to expose molten magnesium to various atmospheres. - A hot stage made it possible to study the surface of the molten or solid sample under the microscope at high temperature with SF6 or with other gases in the atmosphere. - Finally, the solubility of fluorine in magnesium was measured at temperatures from 700°C to 950°C. To obtain a basic knowledge of magnesium melt protection, molten magnesium was exposed to various combinations of gases. Both SF6 and SO2 in air protects molten magnesium well from oxidation. It is also known that pure CO2 has a protective effect. In these experiments, it was tested whether SF6 and SO2 in other carrier gases than air will be protective. Nitrogen, argon and CO2 were used as carrier gases. Also, air was added to CO2 to see how much air the CO2 can contain and still be protective. An important conclusion for SF6 and SO2 is that air is necessary to build a protective film on the melt surface. Inert gases like nitrogen and argon will obviously not oxidize the metal, but since no film forms on the melt, the metal will keep on evaporating. A CO2 atmosphere can contain at least 20% air, and still be protective. Problems employing CO2, are that the metal surface gets discolored, which is at least a cosmetic problem, and that C may be introduced into the metal, which may give corrosion problems. The hot stage placed under an optical microscope made it possible to observe the magnesium sample as it was heated under an atmosphere of SF6 in air, pure CO2 and 1% SO2 in air. The samples were held at temperatures from 635°C to 705°C for varying holding times. The partial pressure of SF6 was varied between 0.5 and 5%. The samples produced were excellent for further studies with Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), microprobe and Focused Ion Beam Milling (FIB). The examinations showed that a thin, dense film was formed. Magnesium fluoride particles formed on the interface between the metal and the oxide film in some cases. It is suggested that then the magnesium oxide is saturated with fluorine. The fluorine diffuses through the oxide layer and forms magnesium fluoride at the interface between MgO and Mg. In other cases, it is seen that a matrix rich in fluorine forms in between larger oxide grains. Combinations of these two situations are also seen. Proposed explanations for the protective behavior of SF6 are: -the formation of a second phase, that is magnesium fluoride, which helps to give a Pilling-Bedworth ratio close to one. -the formation of a MgO matrix containing F. The thickness of the films formed with SF6 is found to be proportional to the square root of time. The proportionality constant depends on temperature and the partial pressure of SF6 in the gas. Samples in CO2 heated above the melting point did not keep their initial shape. The films formed with CO2 are probably therefore not as strong as the films formed in SF6 since these samples managed to keep their initial shape even after they had melted. The surfaces after exposure to CO2 were black and uneven. Formation of MgCO3 has not been confirmed in this work. Also thermodynamic calculations indicated that MgCO3 does not form. It was not possible to tell experimentally whether the sulphur found in the samples exposed to SO2 is bound as magnesium sulphide or magnesium sulphate or even dissolved in MgO, although it may look like two different phases are present with a slightly different sulphur content. Thermodynamic calculations do not indicate that MgSO4 should form. It was considered to introduce fluorine directly into the melt as an alternative to the use of SF6. In this case formation of MgF2 would limit the content of fluorine in the molten magnesium. Therefore, the solubility of fluorine in molten magnesium has been studied by melting magnesium in a magnesium fluoride crucible. Samples were taken at various temperatures from 700°C up to 950°C. Three different analytical methods were employed to measure the fluorine content: The Sintalyzer method, Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry (GD-MS) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). The various analytical methods did not all give the same results. However, it is suggested that the SIMS results are the most reliable. The value for the dissolution of fluorine, 1/2 F2 (g) =F (in mass%) is then: ΔG°3/2 = (- 329 000 + 65 000) - (83+64)T ΔGo for the equilibrium between magnesium and magnesium fluoride, MgF2 = Mg (l) + 2F is found to be: ΔGo = (471 000 ± 131 000) - (350±130) T Iron is found to have no effect on the solubility of fluorine in molten magnesium. The solubility of fluorine does not seem to be sufficiently high for direct dissolution of fluorine into the melt to be an alternative to SF6. Iron is found to have no effect on the solubility of fluorine in molten magnesium. The solubility of fluorine does not seem to be sufficiently high for direct dissolution of fluorine into the melt to be an alternative to SF6.


BACKGROUND
South Korean society faces a serious challenge in the increasing rates of youth suicidal behavior. There is a need both to gain a better understanding of the causes of this behavior and to develop strategies for responding to this critical public health issue.

AIMS
This article analyzes how psychological, sociopsychological, and subcultural factors influence suicidal proneness among Korean youth as well as makes suggestions for developing social policies that could reduce Korean youth suicidal behaviors.

METHOD
Correlation and multivariate regression analyses on suicide proneness and depression were employed using a sample of 172 South Korean youths (aged 18-24) selected from the 2009 General Social Survey collected through face-to-face interviews.

RESULTS
Young people's suicidal proneness is associated with depression, a tolerant attitude toward suicide, strained family relations, living in rural areas, being female, and being closely related to survivors of suicide or potential suicides.

CONCLUSION
The findings from this study reveal the significance of social and cultural factors as influences on recent youth suicidal behavior in Korea. The analysis suggests that the underlying risk factors of suicidal behavior are embedded in the changing social and cultural context of Korean society. Thus, suicide prevention efforts should involve more than merely treating any underlying psychiatric disorders.


Many nuclear plants exceed their lifetimes, have obsolete security systems and cannot be considered failsafe. In this work the implementation of an intelligent system of telemetry and control is proposed to improve security at nuclear plants. These systems can be added to current systems or replace the existing ones. With simple remote sensing devices, low cost, easy installation and wireless communication or wiring, depending on the control area, security at nuclear plants can be improved. Remote devices, fixed and mobile, send information to a central computer with an intelligent control system. The mobile devices, using suitable algorithms will move and seek greater risk areas: high levels of radiation, high concentrations of contaminants or explosive gases, high temperatures, presence in prohibited zones, etc. Devices more sophisticated such as cameras and audio acquisition systems can also be implemented. The central computer will process the data using regression algorithms, pattern recognition and artificial intelligence. These algorithms have intelligent learning, detecting risks and generating alerts in real time. The learning system interacts with the operator to establish optimum processing parameters, rejecting false alarms. Simple graphics were used to display the current state of the plant and trend graphs to predict accidents. Also, mobile devices may be carried by the operator, by a simple and small robot or by a conveyor belt. The devices will be strategically located in confined spaces and highly dangerous areas to monitor the machines. These implementations will reduce the risk of accidents and improve preventive maintenance of nuclear plants.


Purpose:Digital Subtraction Angiography(DSA) is used to evaluate endovascular treatments, either visually or using time‐density curves (TDC), which present change of contrast as a function of time for either the entire aneurysm or sub‐volumes within (R‐TDC). Quantitative parameters such as peak‐density‐value, time‐to‐peak, input rate, influx, residence time, wash‐out‐time, and wash‐out‐rate were used in this study to examine the hemodynamic implications of several treatments using FMDs. Method and Materials:Flow evaluations for aneurysms (saccular and bifurcation geometries) were done using elastomer‐based replicas of clinical human cases. These phantoms were placed in in‐vitro pulsatile flow loops containing a blood‐simulating solution of glycerin‐water. One‐cc boluses of iodinated contrast were delivered at the proximal end of parent vessel of each aneurysm via 5‐Fr catheters using an automatic injector. DSA sequences were acquired at 30 frames/sec (5‐inch II‐mode). The necks of the aneurysms were covered using different‐porosity FMDs. TDCs were obtained pre‐and‐post‐treatment.Results: R‐TDC metrics indicate important modifications of flow occurred in different areas inside the aneurysm that are not evident from the total‐volume TDC. For example, in a sub‐region of saccular aneurysm treated with a zero‐porosity‐patch FMD, occluding the proximal portion of the aneurysmal orifice, peak‐density decreased 49% compared to untreated case and the flow behavior is changed from continuous to oscillatory, while the total aneurysm measurement shows a decrease in peak‐density of 21% and an increase of wash‐out‐time of 171% versus untreated case. In a sub‐region of the bifurcation aneurysm treated with non‐zero‐porosity patch FMD placed to occlude the entire neck, time‐to‐peak increased 67%, and input rate decreased 71% compared to untreated case, while the total aneurysm measurement shows a time‐to‐peak increase of 20% and an input rate of 50% versus untreated case.Conclusion: Proposed parameterization of TDC's is rapid and terms have physical meaning. Support: NIH R01‐NS43924, R01‐EB002873, Toshiba Corp.


Understanding farmers' needs and local genetic resources are crucial steps to improve and conserve the potato crop. A study was conducted to understand what potato traits Ethiopian farmers consider most important, and to characterize the diversity and distribution of local varieties. Growers from six districts were surveyed in 2012 and 2014. Based on the survey results, participatory variety selection (PVS) activities were conducted in two districts during two production seasons. Simultaneously, local varieties were collected from northwest and southern Ethiopia and characterized using molecular and morphological markers. Farmers identified 23 traits they considered important for variety selection, with the degree of importance for each trait varying across gender groups, agro-ecological zones, and growing seasons, as well as with extent of market access. The distribution of local varieties varied by agro-ecological zone, cropping system and proximity to markets. Our genetic fingerprinting and morphological characterization further revealed that, 34% of 44 local potato varieties collected are truly unique, the rest were duplicates, known by different names. These unique Ethiopian local varieties harbour considerable genetic variation, compared to the variation found in European and North American clones. Although local varieties may have lower yield than commercial varieties, they have other desirable attributes that make them well suited for alternative uses and different agro-ecologies.


This study presents an approach to design hybrid dielectrics with ultrahigh capacitance density at extremely low supply voltages that behave like supercapacitors and are thus energy efficient. Hybrid dielectrics are fabricated from polymer/metal-oxide bilayer films with real-time and effective internal voltage generated by chemically interlocking interfacial species at the charged state. The designed dielectrics are named charged-state dipole-enhanced (CSDE) dielectrics. We demonstrate their potential use in ultralow voltage driving organic field-effect transistors (FETs) characterized by the high performance and great stability. Using the CSDE dielectrics, organic FETs with a pentacene active layer can deliver adequate performance and excellent operational stability at ultralow operating voltage in air. The linear field-effect mobility of pentacene-based FETs can be as high as 1.5 cm2 V−1 s−1 at only 0.1 V. After long-term storage and continuous operation in air, the FETs still exhibited outstanding electrical performance. Several advantageous features of the designed CSDE dielectrics are presented, thereby providing a glimpse into the future of energy-efficient electronics.


When the title of a biography begins with a question such as 'Hero or Tyrant?', we know that its subject is enigmatic and can thus be interpreted in diverse ways. This is certainly true of the ill-fated Henry III. Not only has Robert J. Knecht written the first biography of Henry in English since 1858, but he has also made an excellent contribution to international understanding of the king. He takes account both of original sources and of recent scholarship to provide a fair and understanding portrait. As we know, Henry was an object of satirical attack in his own century and the next, and of prejudice in the nineteenth, authors highlighting his effeminate and ambiguous sexual mores to provide a contrast with the virile Henry IV and later to support strong republican feelings. In the twentieth, Jacqueline Boucher and others did much to change the prevalent 'repellent and grotesque' caricature by suggesting that Henry was a 'well-organised sovereign of exceptional intelligence' (p. 119). By dividing the chronology into thematic chapters and describing events in a factual manner, Knecht leaves it to the reader to draw conclusions before he gives his own, even if it does lead at times to some slight, inevitable repetition. He is right to stress the importance of the contemporary context — for example, if Henry occasionally wore women's clothes it was not unusual at the time for members of the court to do so. He was criticized harshly for surrounding himself with 'mignons', the young nobles whose company he enjoyed, and yet the reasons for doing so were not so much sexual as political: he could trust them whereas the members of the old aristocratic families they replaced represented a constant threat to his security and to the implementation of his policies. Henry emerges as a staunch Catholic, as someone who meant well but was often not allowed, because of political pressures, to achieve his aims. So often, he had to backtrack and give in to opposing parties so as to avoid confrontation and bloodshed. He believed in his divine right to reign, was party to murder when he deemed it important for the general good, and did not consider it necessary to seek advice. Knecht provides us with a valuable insight into how Henry can be considered 'intelligent and conscientious' even if he 'committed enormous blunders' and lacked 'tact and vision' (p. 315). In spite of Henry's defects, however, this biography shows him to have been a reformer, introducing measures which were to have a lasting influence on court behaviour and that of the monarchy as well as on the development of state organization. The erstwhile king of Poland and the last of the Valois kings, who only came to the French throne after the premature death of his two older brothers, was more maligned than malignant; if his younger brother had not died and if Henry had had a child and heir then he may have avoided assassination — but he didn't.


We model long-run firm performance, management compensation, and corporate governance in a dynamic, nonstationary world. We show that managerial compensation and governance policies, which, in a single-period context, can best be rationalized by self-serving managerial influence over board policy, are shareholder-wealth maximizing in a dynamic setting. For example, shareholder wealth is maximized by governance policies that tie board deference to generous compensation and link the level of current compensation more to luck than performance. Further, under shareholder-wealth maximizing polices, managerial diversion of firm resources for private consumption is likely to accompany stock price declines which immediately follow sustained price increases and lax board oversight. Unless the the likelihood of a control transfer is large, stock-based managerial compensation may not produce as much shareholder value as simple salary contracts.


OBJECTIVE
To identify prognostic determinants of survival in patients with non-resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), determine the effect of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) on prognosis, compare hepatitis C related HCC with mixed etiologies and evaluate the prognostic value of different staging systems.

METHODS
This cohort study included 129 patients (male = 97, 75%) with non-resectable HCC. Data was collected from 2002 until August 2006. A series of demographic, clinical and biochemical and radiological data were collected. Cases were staged according to the Child's, Okuda, Cancer Liver Italian program (CLIP), Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) and Chinese University Prognostic Index (CUPI) systems. Survival analysis was performed. Any effect of TACE on prognosis was recorded.

RESULTS
Median age of patients was 52 years (range 18-82). Median follow-up 11 months (range 2-36). At the time of analysis, 102 patients had died (79%). Etiology of HCC was hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 66 (51.2%), hepatitis B virus (HBV) 31 (24%), HBV + HCV 10 (7.8%), HBV + delta hepatitis 02 (1.6), and non-B non-C 20 (15.4%). Forty-one patients (31%) were offered TACE. Univariate analysis for HCV related HCC showed that age > 52 years (p<0.05), bilirubin >1.17 mg/dl (p<0.01), INR > 1.3 (p<0.01), alpha fetoprotein > 400 ng/ml (p<0.05), splenomegaly (p<0.01), ascites (p<0.001), portal vein thrombosis (p<0.01), splenic varices (p<0.01), and TACE not offered (p<0.01) were the prognostic factors while in miscellaneous etiology female sex (p<0.05), haemoglobin < 11.0 gm/dl (p<0.01), alkaline Phosphatase > 169 lU/L (p<0.05), ascites (p<0.05) and multifocality (p<0.05) were adversely effecting prognosis. Overall independent determinants were Hepatitis C etiology, female sex and multifocality of tumour (Hazard ratios 3.0, 3.0 and 1.9 respectively). Mean survival was 17.2 vs. 12.8 months for patients offered vs. not offered TACE respectively (p value = 0.015). Okuda, CLIP, BCLC, CUPI and Child's staging systems retained their performance as judged by chi square values in regression analysis. Discriminatory ability for death evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve was better for Okuda system in the first year.

CONCLUSION
Hepatitis C as the etiology of HCC, female sex and multi-focality are associated with poor prognosis. HCV related HCC may differ in prognostic factors from non-HCV HCC. Simple staging system by Okuda predicts prognosis effectively in non-resectable.


Dr. Laura Bottomley, Teaching Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Elementary Education, is also the Director of Women in Engineering and The Engineering Place at NC State University. She has been working in the field of engineering education for over 20 years. She is dedicated to conveying the joint messages that engineering is a set of fields that can use all types of minds and every person needs to be literate in engineering and technology. She is an ASEE and IEEE Fellow and PAESMEM awardee.


The lowest energy spin-allowed crystal field band of (Et(4)N)(3)Cr(2)F(9) shows a distinct interference dip at 15,000 cm(-1) with an approximate width of 200 cm(-1). This spectroscopic feature is due to spin-orbit coupling between the (2)E and (4)T(2) excited states and is analyzed with a set of two coupled potential energy surfaces. The minimum of the (4)T(2) potential surface is displaced along at least two normal coordinates. The modes involved cannot be directly determined from the unresolved absorption spectrum, but are obtained from Raman spectra and from the well-resolved spin-forbidden crystal field transition to the (2)A(1) state. The first mode with a frequency of 415 cm(-1) has predominant Cr-F stretching character; the second mode has a frequency of 90 cm(-1) and involves the entire Cr(2)F(9)(3-) dimer.


O(6)-Benzylguanine (O(6)-BG), a potent inactivator of the DNA repair protein O(6)-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT), is presently in clinical trials combined with alkylating agents that modify the O(6) position of DNA guanine residues, i.e., 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea and temozolomide. Previous work demonstrated that O(6)-BG also enhances the cytotoxicity of cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, and nitrogen mustards in Chinese hamster ovary cells. We have extended this study to include other clinically relevant agents that form interstrand and intrastrand cross-links including cisplatin and carboplatin. Pretreatment of a series of head and neck tumor cell lines (i.e., SQ20b, JSQ3, SCC25, SCC35, and SCC61), Chinese hamster ovary cells, and HT29 human colon tumor cells with O(6)-BG (100 micro M for 2 h before treatment and 2 h during treatment) resulted in a 2-fold decrease in the ED(50) of cisplatin and a concomitant increase in the percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis. The enhancement was independent of AGT activity. Similar enhancement was observed with carboplatin, but no enhancement was seen in AGT-deficient cell lines with radiation or temozolomide, demonstrating the dependence of the effect on bifunctional, cross-linking agents. Furthermore, levels of platinum on DNA after treatment with cisplatin increased 1.4-fold in SQ20b cells and 4.5-fold in JSQ3 cells immediately after treatment with O(6)-BG plus cisplatin and remained elevated for 48 h. Consistent with greater cytotoxicity and apoptosis is the approximately 2-fold higher amount of DNA damage when cells are treated with O(6)-BG plus cisplatin compared with cisplatin alone. Modulation of cisplatin therapy with O(6)-BG might improve the prognosis of patients with head and neck, ovarian, testicular, or lung cancer who are treated with this drug.


ECOLOGY/EVOLUTION
Mapping and quantifying biodiversity is key to effective conservation planning, yet gathering the necessary data can be costly and time-consuming. Conservationists and land managers therefore place a premium on methods, such as remote sensing, that yield tolerable estimates of biodiversity in the absence of exhaustive ground surveys. Bawa et al . have tested a method of estimating tree diversity from space. Their study, conducted in the Biligiri Rangaswamy hills in the Western Ghats, India, shows a strong and positive correlation between species richness and an index of green biomass—the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)—which can be assessed accurately using satellite imagery. This technique shows promise for estimating broad patterns of tree species diversity at the landscape scale in tropical forests, which may be crucial to identifying areas most in need of protection and where rapid destruction is underway. — AMS

Conserv. Ecol . 6 , [www.consecol.org/vol6/iss2/art7][1] (2002).

 [1]: http://www.consecol.org/vol6/iss2/art7


We present values of the static and dynamic fracture-initiation toughness at different loading rates of the aluminum alloy Al 7075-T651 obtained on three-point bend specimens with different thicknesses and initial crack lengths. In static conditions, the critical stress intensity factor was measured according to well known procedures. The methodology of dynamic fracture initiation toughness is not yet standardized, and the dynamic tests were done with a modified Hopkinson pressure bar coupled to high-speed cameras to measure the crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) of the specimens. The critical stress intensity value was obtained from the CMOD at the time that crack starts to grow. This instant was detected by means of crack gauges at the crack tip.


Routing is one of the key factors that determine how much of the ideal performance of the network-on-chip is realized. A well-designed routing algorithm can extend much benefit through the implementation of this potential. Existing routing algorithms for a triplet-based hierarchical interconnection network (THIN) can be applied for a balanced THIN but are not suitable for a non-balanced THIN. This paper proposes the shortest path routing algorithm for THIN, called SPORT, which can be applied to both the balanced and non-balanced THINs. Based on the THIN features, SPORT computes the shortest path at the source node and constructs the output port list to minimize the computation time at the intermediate node. The simulation results show that SPORT can obtain lower traffic latency than existing routing algorithms. We also compare THIN with the 2D mesh in terms of traffic locality. The simulation results show that THIN is more suitable than the 2D mesh for these high-locality traffic workloads.


The recently proposed principal component analysis network (PCANet) has been proved high performance for visual content classification. In this letter, we develop a tensorial extension of PCANet, namely, multilinear principal analysis component network (MPCANet), for tensor object classification. Compared to PCANet, the proposed MPCANet uses the spatial structure and the relationship between each dimension of tensor objects much more efficiently. Experiments were conducted on different visual content datasets including UCF sports action video sequences database and UCF11 database. The experimental results have revealed that the proposed MPCANet achieves higher classification accuracy than PCANet for tensor object classification.


Personal protection elements (PPE) such as safety glasses, work clothing, ear plugs, are fast-moving, low cost items in most industrial settings for which warehousing and dispatching is required. In some cases, such warehousing is centralized and therefore personnel must deliver in large amounts such elements to workers, thus demanding man hours, space, and transportation for miners and other workers to centralized facilities. Automating the delivery by using vending machine technology located at critical locations is a natural way to deal with the problem. However, the number of machines, locations, replenishment times and quantities, communication links, backup modes, and supplier modes (internal or outsourced) will define different design configurations given the number of alternatives that can arise during conceptual design of the network. In this paper we present a mathematical model for optimizing the logistics costs involving this kind of decisions: such as inventory costs, stock out costs, transportation, and equipment operational costs. An example and numerical analysis is provided.


The purpose of this paper is to investigate what cultural changes can be observed in an acquired company's corporate culture in one unit that is integrated in the acquiring company's routines - but not physically integrated. This research aims to contribute to the understanding of post-acquisition situations in the long-term. To fulfill this purpose, the following questions were to be answered: how do the employees at the acquired (but not physically integrated) company unit experience the corporate culture seven years after the acquisition, and how do they feel knowing their unit will be transferred to the same location as the acquirer company? Answering these questions, an exploratory qualitative case study of GEHC in Uppsala was implemented with fourteen employees interviewed at GEHC Bolanderna and the unit in Fyrislund. The results revealed that the culture at the acquired unit today is partly changed and the core values are no longer prominent to the same extent, despite being deliberately maintained by the employees. There is also a partly negative attitude towards the physical integration, as the last parts of the acquired company´s culture will entirely disappear as the employees will be divided into different departments once they move to Bolanderna.


Advances in RFID technology has led to increasing usage of these systems in various applications such as supply chain management, object identification and so on. At the same time, security attacks against these systems have also grown. Employing a common vocabulary for the sensors of RFID intrusion detection systems will be useful for collaborating with each other in identifying security incidents. Ontological approach for defining RFID attacks can obtain this common vocabulary that is understandable for both humans and software agents. In this paper, an ontological modeling of RFID attacks is presented.


Protocols for establishing, maintaining, and terminating connections in packet-switched networks have been studied, and numerous standards have been developed to address this problem. The authors reexamine connection establishment in the context of a high-speed packet network, introduce a protocol for connection establishment/takedown that is appropriate for such a network, and explain its advantages over previously proposed protocols. The main features of the proposed protocol are: fast bandwidth reservation in order to avoid as much as possible reservation conflicts, guaranteed release of the reserved bandwidth even under modal and link failures, and soft recovery from processor failures, which allows the maintenance of existing connections under processor failure provided the switch and links do not fail. The underlying model that is used is the PARIS/plaNET network, but the protocol can be adapted to other fast packet networking architectures as well. >


The Neotropical catfish genus Tympanopleura, previously synonymized within Ageneiosus, is revalidated and included species are reviewed. Six species are recognized, two of which are described as new. Tympanopleura is distinguished from Ageneiosus by having an enlarged gas bladder not strongly encapsulated in bone; a prominent pseudotympanum consisting of an area on the side of the body devoid of epaxial musculature where the gas bladder contacts the internal coelomic wall; short, blunt head without greatly elongated jaws; and smaller adult body size. Species of Tympanopleura are distinguished from each other on the basis of unique meristic, morphometric, and pigmentation differences. Ageneiosus melanopogon and Tympanopleura nigricollis are junior synonyms of Tympanopleura atronasus. Tympanopleura alta is a junior synonym of Tympanopleura brevis. A lectotype is designated for T. brevis. Ageneiosus madeirensis is a junior synonym of Tympanopleura rondoni. Tympanopleura atronasus, T. brevis, T. longipinna, and T. rondoni are relatively widespread in the middle and upper Amazon River basin. Tympanopleura cryptica is described from relatively few specimens collected in the upper portion of the Amazon River basin in Peru and the middle portion of that basin in Brazil. Tympanopleura piperata is distributed in the upper and middle Amazon River basin, as well as in the Essequibo River drainage of Guyana.


Background and aim Chronic and progressive nature of COPD necessitates the patients to regularly self-administer inhaled medication. Inhalation effort required and flow rates achieved through DPIs, are some of the important considerations while selecting dry power inhalers (DPIs). Here, we present the comparison of the peak inspiratory flow (PIF) rates achieved by COPD patients, with varying degrees of airflow limitation, through three types of DPIs (Breezhaler®, Ellipta® and HandiHaler®). We also assessed the effect of severity of airflow limitation on PIF rates. Methods This randomised, open-label, multicentre and cross-over study recruited patients with moderate-to-very severe airflow limitation (GOLD 2014) aged ≥40 years with a smoking history of ≥10 pack years. No active drug or placebo was administered during the study. After training the patients on correct use, inhalation flow profiles of patients were recorded using pressure tapped inhalers attached to a pressure transducer. For each patient, the inhalation profile with the highest PIF rate, out of three replicate inhalations per device, was selected for analysis. The primary analysis was based on the per-protocol set comprising 93 patients who completed all three inhalations per device. A paired t-test was performed to compare PIF means between each combination of devices. Results In total, 97 COPD patients were randomised, of whom 96 completed the study and 93 patients (per-protocol set) were included in the analysis. The highest mean PIF rate (L/min ± SE) was observed with the Breezhaler® (107.5 ± 2.4), followed by the Ellipta® (80.0 ± 2.2) and the HandiHaler® (53.6 ± 2.1), in all patients (patients with moderate-to-very severe airflow limitation). The mean PIF rate (L/min) achieved via the Breezhaler® was higher vs the Ellipta® (mean difference[Δ] = 27.7; p < 0.0001) and also vs the HandiHaler® (Δ = 53.9; p < 0.0001). Also, when assessed by severity of airflow limitation, the Breezhaler® device exhibited significantly higher PIF rate vs the Ellipta® and vs the HandiHaler® (Table). Conclusions COPD patients with varying degree of airflow limitation (moderate-to-very severe COPD) achieved the highest PIF rates via the Breezhaler® compared with the Ellipta® or the HandiHaler® inhaler. Abstract P288 Table 1 Comparison of PIF rates (L/min) by COPD severity (per protocol set)


The role played by midwives during modernity deserves increased attention. Ethnic and confessional minorities often displayed starkly different patterns in the selection of these instrumental figures. More than that, the differences between the official reports and the community behavior recorded at ground level suggest a major gap between theory and practice. In theory, the province of Transylvania was well provided with medical care, midwives included. Data collected into the Historical Population Database of Transylvania reveals the fact that most women were assisted at birth by handywomen, the traditional, unskilled midwives. A research tool like a historical population database could help the scholars to address the issue of birth medicalisation, starting from the main research question: can we discuss the medicalisation of birth given that more than half of the women assisted in the delivery of just one child?


This paper presents an investigation on the microstructure and surface hardness of the parts fabricated by laser assisted Direct Metal Deposition (DMD) technology. A series of engineering metallic alloy powders were used in the DMD process to produce simple 3D geometric structures. The alloy powders investigated include: 316L stainless steel, 420 Stainless Steel, Stellite(R) 6, tool steel (H13), Cholmoloy (Ni Based alloy), and Aluminium Bronze. These were chosen due to their frequent application in engineering parts and components. The microstructure and hardness values have been compared to those of the wrought products (as annealed) as reported in the SAE standards, Heat treater's guide to metals ASM international, and material data sheets supplied by the materials manufacturers. A significant difference is reported in both hardness and microstructure of the laser deposited samples compared to those of the wrought form.


We present the comparison of frequency response of different shaped microcantilever beams (namely rectangular, T-shaped andV-shaped) which are commonly used for sensing applications. Performance was measured on the basis of both resonant frequency and geometrical parameters. It was found that the overall cantilever design that produced optimum sensitivity for sensing applications is the rectangular shaped microcantilever. After optimizing the shape ofmicrocantilever we have performed the analysis based on material properties. It is observed that out of all possible candidates silicon carbide possesses highest value of resonant frequency.


A novel supersonic plasma spraying system was developed with a maximum power of 80 kW and a maximum working gas flow of 6 m3/h, at which gas and particle velocities of 2400 and 600 m/s can be achieved respectively. This paper deals with novel supersonic plasma spraying system design, the structure of novel supersonic plasma gun includes a special Laval nozzle as the single anode and inner powder supply, and the mechanisms of supersonic plasma jet as well as the effects on the sprayed particles. The spraying process parameters of several ceramic powders such as Al2O3, Cr2O3, ZrO2, Cr3C2 and Co-WC were optimized. The properties and microstructure of the sprayed ceramic coatings were investigated. Nano Al2O3-TiO2 ceramic coating sprayed by using novel supersonic plasma spraying was also studied. Novel supersonic plasma spraying improves greatly ceramic coatings quality compared with conventional air plasma spraying (Metco 9M), as well as it has lower energy and gas exhaustion compared with high power supersonic plasma spraying (Plazjet), which can spray high-performance ceramic coatings at low cost.


Recently [Hoole et al., Proc. ICSLP 94, 1, 53–56 (1994)] a comparison was made with EMMA of the kinematic properties of German tense and lax vowels over changes in speech rate. They appeared not to differ in the internal organization of the elementary CV and VC movements, but the lax vowels showed tighter serial coupling of CV to VC movement. These results were expected given the strong phonological tradition (on a phonetically elusive substrate) of accounting for the differences between these vowels at the level of word prosody (especially in the link between vowel and following consonant). Nevertheless, important questions remain open: First, analysis of the velocity profiles of the CV and VC movements had been based on a parameter (ratio of peak to average velocity) that may not capture all relevant differences. Second, it was unclear whether tense–lax differences are equally clear‐cut for all vowel subcategories (e.g, high, low, rounded, unrounded) and also for different consonantal contexts. The more refined and extensive analyses now carried out will be used to assess the well‐foundedness of the earlier preliminary conclusions and to place the German results within the wider perspective of improved understanding of vowel‐system typologies. [Work supported by German Research Council.]


This slender gem of a volume on the physiology of blood loss and shock was first published in Great Britain in 1994. One primary goal is reintroduction of the seminal work of Henry Bancroft, professor of physiology at Queen's University of Belfast, Ireland, 1939, who described a stage of hypovolemic shock associated with bradycardia and hypotension. The authors point out that recognition of this phase is ignored in the standard textbook descriptions of hemorrhagic shock. The contributors include eminent cardiovascular physiologists and clinicians, who extensively review the experimental aspects of hypovolemic shock, cardiovascular physiology, the effect of hypovolemic shock on regional perfusion, and selected clinical aspects of hypovolemic shock, including monitoring. The physiologically oriented clinician and the cardiovascular physiologist will especially enjoy the sections on the use of functional hemorrhage models in human studies and the lucid chapter about autoregulation of blood flow. Chapters about cardiovascular sensors, central integration, and


Illnesses that may cause vitamin deficiencies include gastric atrophy, alcoholism, and primary biliary cirrhosis, which hinders assimilation of vitamins A, D, and K. A diet history, which should be obtained by a dietitian, is helpful for diagnosing vitamin deficiencies in a geriatric patient.